New York Giants Keys To A Mile High Victory

The Giants’ defensive line is a force, with Brian Burns tallying seven sacks on the year already. They need to shut down the run quickly and force Nix to throw the ball. He’s six for 22 on passes of 20 air yards (27.3%). The Giants need to force big throws by generating pressure, and the secondary needs to be hunting for the ball.

Denver’s offense only scored 13 points against the New York Jets, a defense that ranks 30th in sacks (eight) and dead last in interceptions (zero). The Giants’ defense ranks 16th in both of those categories. If they can play well in the trenches, they’ll keep Denver’s points low.

Jaxson Dart’s Toughest Challenge Yet

The Giants are facing off with arguably the best defense in the NFL. They rank first in sacks (30), second in points allowed per game (15.8), and third in passing yards allowed per game (165.2).

The Giants’ rookie QB Jaxson Dart hasn’t faced a defense like this yet. He’ll be pressured all day long by a defense that leads the NFL in sack yards (187). 

Dart currently has 167 rush yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts. Denver’s focus on Skattebo will open up opportunities for the QB to take off. The Giants’ receivers showed up last week, but they’re facing a secondary that can shut down the pass game. His running ability will be essential to New York’s success here.

The Giants’ offensive line has played well since Andrew Thomas returned. In his 246 offensive snaps this year, he has no penalties, no sacks allowed, and no QB hits allowed, along with a PFF grade of 83.0. The big men have been playing well, but they’ll need to take it to another level in this one.

Let Cam Skattebo Eat

The bright side is the Giants are facing a defense that ranks 27th in rush yards allowed per game (73). New York currently ranks 10th in rush yards per game (126.2), and this is the best mismatch for them.

Giants second-year running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. returned from a shoulder injury last week, but saw limited snaps. It’s extremely likely he’ll see an increased workload here. 

Cam Skattebo has been a breakout star over the last few weeks, generating most of his yards after contact. He’s the perfect weapon to utilize against the one chip in Denver’s armor. Tracy even offers the chance to shake things up and keep the Broncos on their toes. New York needs to establish the run early and commit to it for all four quarters.

Toughness Wins Out

This week’s matchup will be a game of bully-ball. Denver has yet to score 30 points in a game this season, against defenses far worse than the Giants. New York shut down Saquon Barkley last week, forcing Jalen Hurts to throw the ball. That resulted in a Giants win, and this week should be no different.

Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter have a golden opportunity to show how good they are. This will likely be a low-scoring game. It’s hard to imagine either team will break 30 points; they might not even break 20. No matter who wins, it won’t be pretty.

End Of My Giants Rant

These two teams have developed a small rivalry in the days leading up to this game. Broncos linebacker Jonathan Cooper had made comments about Dart, saying he’s “nothing we haven’t seen”. Those were met with responses by several Giants players, including the rookie himself. In August, this would’ve been expected to be a blowout; now it could actually be a fun game for New York.

Check out my full Week 7 Preview & Predictions here!